Mumbai: Coffee shop owner booked for poisoning tree in Powai

Mumbai: An owner of a coffee shop in Powai was booked for allegedly poisoning a tree outside its premise earlier this week. Powai Police said that incident had come to light in June last year and while non-cognisable complaint was taken then, a case was registered only on Monday.

According to the complainant, who is an assistant in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) Gardens department, had received a tip-off through BMC's Twitter handle on June 25, wherein a user had claimed that owner of a coffee shop had put up metal sheets on a tree and poisoned it. Acting on this information, she conducted a probe and found out that the tree was withered and a few holes were found there. Subsequently, the complainant submitted a report and on July 1, a non-cognisable complaint was registered.

Acting on this complaint, permission was sought from the metropolitan magistrate court to probe the matter, and accordingly, a case was registered against the accused on Monday. A police officer said that the accused has been booked under relevant sections of the Maharashtra (Urban Areas) Tree Protection and Preservation Act and further probe is underway. Police, however, are yet to make the arrest.